A Dog's Journey: A Truthful Facade
by Dog of Fate Amaria
Summary: To live many lives is something Maria has been used to for the past five thousand existences. The life of someone who lives a school life is nothing new either. But to have awakened in some blue room is not normal for her. And what was that about a mystery and some journey? And what the hell is growing in her mind? Well, at least this life can't get any weirder... Right?
1. Chapter 1

The train's sounds drew a young woman to sleep. The sounds clearly annoying as she ignored the people around her and rested. Taken from the city and sent to the country… How dull, and boring. She wanted to just live her life, not by how someone else wanted her to. But… Yasoinaba sounded nice enough, especially if the Hare of Inaba was right. Little adorable de-

Her eyes opened, noticing something was wrong. No longer did the sound of a train echo around her. No longer did she smell the disgusting smell of other people she didn't care for. No… Now all she heard was a lone piano being played, and the smell was now that of lavender. Chocolate eyes shifted around her, waiting for someone to attack. This never happened before, never. She'd been summoned to hell every once in a while, hell, sometimes she was summoned to a wasteland in the middle of Bumfuck, Nowhere. But never a weird place like this.

She closely studied the room, the area she was in. It seemed to be a bar, and she could see a person in black clothes playing the piano. She was in a chair, a luscious one at that, and it was made of velvet. She began to feel it under her hand before two people sat before her, one of them smiling and the other calm.

The calm one was dressed in blue, a coat of sorts. Golden eyes watched her, and silver-ish locks fell down from her head. She held a large book in her hand, and that drew more attention from the girl. What could be held in a tome that big? Her past, present, future? Or something more… The other… Well, he was an odd one.

Large eyes, a crooked smile on his lips, and a large hook nose. Like, it was larger than her middle fingers combined. The hell… Elfen ears, a balding head of white hair, and a suit.

"Welcome… To the Velvet Room." The young woman frowned deeper.

"Alright, enough playing." The man smiled wider and the woman blinked at her tone. "I just want a normal life. I've had enough angel's out for my blood, enough demons ripping out my spine, and enough gods playing with humanity to want to be done. I swear if I have to save the world, I'm out."

Oddly, the man laughed, well, chuckled. "Of course not. No such thing will occur. Well… I cannot promise that one hundred percent." The young woman's frown deepened before he held his hand up. "Let me introduce myself before we go wild. I am Igor, the master of the Velvet Room. And you are?"

The girl still frowned, but looked at her hand. "... I have no real name. But call me… Maria Narukami. I'm not sure what it actually was, my real name…"

"Ah, Maria. A pleasure." He smiled, taking out a deck of cards from somewhere. "Here, we are to help you on your Journey." Laying them out, he still looked at her. "Allow me to draw your fortune, shall I?" Maria simply nodded. What could go wrong with a simple fortune telling?

"Now, before I begin, let me tell you this. This place is a world between dreams and reality, mind and matter. This world can only be visited by those who undertake an unknown and unseen contract… By Fate." Maria scowled at him, and Igor chuckled. "Calm down, Dog. I mean no harm." Eyes widened and she nearly reached over to throttle him. Before she could, he continued.

"Now, know these cards are the same we show to any other guest here. But… The outcomes are always different." He flipped over a card, showing a tower hit by lightning. "The Tower in the upright position. There will be many misfortunes coming your way. Now… The card showing a more unknown future." He flipped another, showing a moon.

"The Moon, also upright. It seems that misfortune awaits at your next destination, and that you will be charged with solving a great mystery." He chuckled. "While I did glimpse your mind, I believe you will succeed in this Journey. After all… It is your Fate." Now Maria was growling. This was bullshit.

"Perhaps it is." She blinked. Did he- "Yes. Remember, we are between reality and dreams. And this world… Well, it's easy to see the mind of those who enter." She so wanted to punch him. So much. "But I'm sure that, in accordance with your contract, it will not be long until you find your way here once more. This year represents something of a turning point in your destiny, and unless you solve this mystery, your future may be forever lost to you."

Maria frowned and thought about this. Her future… Lost to her? That wasn't good. Would… Would they really leave her for dead? She shook her head, getting a chuckle from Igor again. "Now, I am here to provide my guests with whatever aid they require, so that that does not happen. My aide is also here to assist you." He motioned to her and the woman smiled softly.

"I will indeed be assisting you on your journey, dear guest. My name is Margaret." Maria nodded to her and crossed her arms.

"So… How the hell do I leave?"

"Simple." Igor smiled as Maria felt tired suddenly. "You wake up."

Wait-

* * *

"What?!" Maria sat up, seeing the train had stopped just at the place she was meant to get off at. Weird dream… Then again, was it really a dream, or a vision? She didn't know. Standing, she grabbed her bag and caught a glimpse of herself in the glass. Brown hair, brown eyes behind a pair of glasses, and a bit of a scar going from right over her right eye to under her chin on the left. She rubbed it a little instinctively and frowned more.

How long had she had that? She wondered that a lot now. Was it when she was fighting a being cloaked in fire, a long spiraling sword covered in those that tore into her as she reached for her weapon? Or was it against a man who wanted to take away human emotions and left her a shell of herself? Or perhaps it was when she fought someone who was once her friend, who slowly went mad as he thought she killed his friend? Clenching a hand into a fist, she glared at the reflection of herself and exited the train. Stepping outside, she heard someone's voice.

"Hey! Over here!" Turning, she saw a man with grayish brown hair standing there, a coat in hand and a smile on his face. Maria made her way over to him and nodded. "Well, you're more handsome in person than in your photo. Welcome to Inaba. I'm Ryotaro Dojima. I'll be looking after you." She blushed at the handsome bit, but smiled back.

"Maria Narukami. I'm in your care, Mr. Dojima." She bowed a little, remembering the proper bowing that she was meant to do to him. Dojima seemed to stop before he chuckled.

"No need to be so formal. But let me see… I'm your mother's younger brother... and that about sums it up." Maria found herself wondering what to say.

"Well… It has been a while." She smiled and then found herself cornered with something from her past. Something she didn't expect.

"I'll say. You've really grown. I still remember when you were in diapers…" And there went her composure. Face turning a vibrant crimson she turned away from him, coughing as he motioned for a young girl to step forward. Wearing a pink shirt, brown hair in some pigtailed things, and… Adorable. Adorable was the first thing that hit Maria before her eyes widened. To the being Igor called a Dog, it was almost a mirror, a mirror to her past. An innocent child, unaware of how bad humanity and the universe could be. Who had a future before her and was unaware of what it would be.

"This here's my daughter. Come on, Nanako, introduce yourself to your cousin." Dojima smiled and the girl raised her hand a little in greeting.

"...'lo." It hurt, to see this girl the way she was now. But she couldn't have those emotions rise any more than they were now. She had to compress it all down.

"What're you so shy for? Ow, hahaha." Dojima laughed as Nanako hit his back in embarrassment. "Well then... Let's get going. My car's over there." Dojima waved her over to a car and Maria followed, placing her bag next to Nanako. Soon, they drove to a gas station, and Dojima stepped out, as did her and the kid.

"Hi! Welcome to Moel!" The attendant smiled and waved at the three, as Nanako looked at her father. Maria chose to ignore everyone else as she studied the town around her. There was no feeling like Demons and Angels gave off. Hell, the town was completely normal. But… Igor's words went back to the forefront of her mind.

" _It seems that misfortune awaits at your next destination, and that you will be charged with solving a great mystery._ " Well that wasn't ominous or anything. She continued to frown as the attendant walked over to her, smiling. Seemed they were filling the car up and wanted to chat.

"A city girl, huh? Are you in high school?" Maria nodded, and the attendant chuckled. "Does it surprise a city girl to see how little there is out here?"

"A little. It's odd, yes. But I've… Gotten used to it." Was the answer the attendant got, as Maria leaned against the truck.

"Yeah, there's so little to do, I'm sure you'll get bored fast. You'll either be hanging out with your friends or doing part-time jobs. Speaking of which, we're actually looking for part-time help right now." Holding out their hand, Maria shook it and the person smiled. "Give it some thought, why don't you? We don't mind if you're a student." Looking at the watch on their hand, the attendant blinked in panic.

"Oh, I should get back to work. Have a good day, city girl." Walking off, Maria noticed Nanako looking at her. Feeling a pounding in her head, she almost didn't hear the young girl's question.

"...you ok?"

"No… I don't think so." Maria managed, looking at her hand after she felt her forehead. Sweat, lots of it. "T-Tell Dojima I'm gonna sleep when we get to your place, kay? Sorry Nanako…" She climbed into the truck and leaned back, breathing deeply. Why did she suddenly feel so… sick? She felt Dojima get into the truck and Nanako say something, and soon the truck began to move. Letting her body move on autopilot, she set to work trying to understand what made her sick.

The Attendant seemed to be the cause of the oddness. Question was, what were they? No discernable gender, identity, lifestyle, anything. Just, a face in the masses. Did they send a disease into her? The more she thought, the less she understood about it. Damn it! She felt her body enter a room and sleep, and soon she found herself in a foggy area.

"..." She frowned as she walked forward, a sword suddenly at her side. Long, thin, basically a katana. She pulled it out and felt a presence in her mind. An odd presence, yet similar to her own. Stepping forward, she stopped as someone formed. A silhouette that seemed smug.

"You'll never win. The mystery will never be solved. The Killer will escape." Maria's annoyance reached a peak as she drew the blade, slashing at it. She missed in her rage, and continued, the shadowy being repeating those words over and over. Soon, she couldn't continue attacking and passed out, waking in the real world.

"... Rule 4; Dreams are more than they appear." She muttered, remembering a set of rules she made for herself long ago. She grabbed a set of clothes to wear to the school and walked out of the room, looking down the stairs and smelled something cooking. She walked into the room and took it in for a moment. A table close to the floor, a couch near it and a tv close as well. A counter was near the kitchen, which wasn't very big, and a door leading outside was close at hand. Looking at the kitchen, she spotted Nanako making food.

"Where'd Uncle Dojima go?" She asked seeing the young girl set out some toast and sunny-side up eggs.

"Something came up. He won't be back. You have school today… Right?" Maria frowned and looked at the calendar, just to be sure of the date. Tuesday, the twelfth of April. So she did.

"Guess so. You know where the high school is?"

"Yeah. My school is on the way there. We can go together… Right?" Maria frowned at the seeming lack of a parental figure she had, and sat down, grabbing a slice of toast while Nanako dug into her own plate she made.

"Of course, Nanako… Chan." The girl looked up at her and tilted her head. "Sorry. I'm bad at the stuff you put at the end of your names. I lived in America for a few years and got caught up in how they spoke." She wasn't lying, but it wasn't true in this world. She sighed as she grabbed her backpack and followed the young girl out of the house, and onto the road on some flooded plain.

"Your school is just ahead. My school is just ahead. Bye." She saw Nanako smile as she walked off and Maria continued onwards. Looking at the school, she was minorly impressed by it. It wasn't too big, nor too small. She walked toward it just as some kid smashed into a trashcan on his bike. Part of her wanted to laugh her ass off, but another wanted to help him. Wasn't his fault that he crashed, but then again… She looked him over a few times. Brownish hair, a pair of headphones around his neck, and a shirt like the one the other students had.

She walked towards a classroom she seemed to be meant to go into and listened in. Better to have some information rather than not. Rule 51: Any information you gather without being seen can be better than the info you actually get when in conversation. She leaned against the door as some malform-faced man started towards her.

"Talk about bad luck... The homeroom teacher here is Morooka, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it's King Moron alright... We get to enjoy his long-ass sermons every day for a whole year…"

"Hey you guys, I heard there's going to be a transfer student from the city in this class."

"Huh? Really? A guy or a girl?"

Maria's mind carefully dissected the info. Morooka, aka King Moron. Sermons probably on how stupid the kids are. She looked at the man and nodded to herself. That was probably him. She listened in again.

"A transfer student from the city... Just like you, huh, Yosuke? ...Huh? You look dead today."

"Yeah, um... I don't wanna talk about it…" The young Narukami girl smiled a little. Seemed like she had a class with the bike boy.

"What's with him?"

"Who knows?"

The man finally got close and entered the class, and she followed in after him.

"Awright, shut your traps! Now I hate wasting my time, but I'd better introduce this transfer student." Maria's eyes narrowed at the man in annoyance. "This sad sack's been thrown from the big city out to the middle of nowhere like yesterday's garbage. And she's just as much of a loser here as she was there, so you guys better not get any ideas about hitting on her!" He told her to introduce herself and she looked at him.

"Oi, ugly. Call me a loser again, and I'll ask my uncle to inform the school on your attitude. Also, not interested in dating at the moment, sir. So kindly stop your attitude, shut up, and let me do things my way." Maria felt a part of her burst into laughter and sighed. Seemed she woke up that part of her. Moron gaped at her, as did the rest of the class. Nobody called him on anything like that before, mostly out of respect for the man and only did so behind his back

Maria faced the class and sighed. "Greetings everyone. I am Maria Narukami. I spent some time in America, so forgive me if I insult you without meaning to." She bowed to the lot and felt something tick in her mind. Like some meter for her courage went up for mocking Moron or something. Sighing, she turned as the odd and possibly deformed man screamed at her.

"That's it, you're on my shit list, effective immediately! This town is miles away from your big city of perverts and assholes, in more ways than one! You better not even think of getting involved with the guys here, let alone abusing them! Looking at your pathetic face, I'm sure that threat won't even work!" Maria growled a little, eyes narrowing at the man. The man continued on his rant, getting louder and louder before someone spoke up.

Similar brown hair to the boy, wearing a similar outfit to hers. She noticed a green jacket as she spoke. "Excuse me! Is it okay if the transfer student sits here?" Moron noticed her, stopped his rant, and muttered for her to 'siddown.'

"He's the worst, huh? Rotten luck for you to get stuck in this class... Well, we'll just have to hang in there for a year. Uh… Nice job in saying that to him." Maria smiled as she sat down, before looking at Morooka as he spoke again.

"Shut your traps! I'm taking roll, and I damn well expect you to respond in an orderly manner!" As he called for the names, the kids were silently whispering to one another.

"Sucks to be the transfer student, ending up in King Moron's class on the first morning here…"

"Yeah, he won't think twice about suspending you if you get on his bad side. Then again, we're all in the same boat…" The young woman took that into account as she looked back at the man.

"I'm Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher from today forward! First things first! Just 'cause it's spring doesn't mean you can swoon over each other like love-struck baboons. Long as I'm around, you students are going to be pure as the driven snow! That's all for today. Normal lectures will start tomorrow." Maria's mind began to wander, thinking about the laugher she heard in her mind.

'It' woke up. She wasn't upset at having 'it' wake up, but it was annoying to have it talking to her all the damn time. The other parts of her were awake too, and she nearly groaned at the thought of them all waking up. She put her mind to the side and began to look over whatever had formed from yesterday and found even more problems.

She'd had parasites enter and begin to slowly consume her body before. She'd had one that talked to her, hell, 'IT' was basically a parasite if she looked at it from one perspective. But this wasn't like those. This thing just sat within her mind, as if slowly gaining form. Blue light swirled around a humanoid mass within the confines of her mental space, and she had to suppress a groan of annoyance. Whatever this thing was, it wasn't hurting her, nor was it taking too much energy that she'd need to live.

And that made it all the worse. It wasn't hurting her, yet it was draining energy. It didn't seem like a threat, but it was an outsider intruding into her mind. That alone was nearly enough to have her throw it out and get rid of it. But… What was the harm in it being within her? Stretching in her mental space, she looked back to see a part of her walk forward and nod.

It was like an actual mirror image of herself. She couldn't tell when she made this one, but it couldn't have been more than seven to ten years ago. Looking at her chest, she saw how this one came to be. A giant red splotch was clear to see, and the scent of copper hit the air.

"Number 47183, keep an eye on this thing." The part of her nodded and took up station next to it, watching it and taking small notes. Maria's body moved slightly and the young woman took control of it, looking around. A lot of people were nearby, and she frowned. Seems she was let out earlier than usual? She looked up and felt a small bit of disgust hit her. A human was hung up by the television lines, and she heard Uncle Dojima speak up.

"Hey, what're you doing here?" Maria turned and frowned.

"We're just passing by." That made her stop. Turning, she noticed the girl from before walking with her, along with a new one. A girl with long black hair and a red headband in it. Part of her noticed their looks at her and knew her body was somehow dragged into something after she looked into the thing growing in her mindscape.

"Huh... I should have figured that'd happen. That damn principal. We told him not to let them through here…"

The girl with the green jacket spoke up, "...You know this guy?"

"I'm Detective Dojima, her guardian. Uhh... Well, how should I say this... I hope you get along with her. But you three really ought to stop wandering around and head straight home." She noticed a young man behind Dojima nearly throw up at the sight of the body and frowned. That didn't seem faked, but he was a detective. A body hung up like that shouldn't be too bad. Then again… How many times did she see someone die?

"Adachi! How long are you going to act like a rookie? You want to be sent back to the central office!?" Adachi, hm?

"I-I'm sorry... Nngh…"

Dojima sighed and ordered, "Go wash your face. We're gonna go around and gather information!"

"T-this what that announcement was about...?" Seemed the first girl wasn't used to this, but Maria saw the other detectives take the body down. "Hey, Yukiko...? Why don't we go to Junes some other time?"

The long haired girl nodded. "Good idea…"

"Alright then, we're taking off. Starting tomorrow, neighbor, let's do our best!" The girl waved and walked off with the other, now named Yukiko. Nodding back, Maria made for the Dojima residence.

She made it home after Nanako, and sat down to eat dinner with her after a while. "I wonder if Dad's not coming home again tonight…"

"Seems like it." Maria mentioned as the news came on.

"Our top story this evening concerns a bizarre case in a quiet suburb. Around noon today, a woman was found dead near the Samegawa River in Inaba."

"Ah! The Inaba Police Department! Th-That's where Dad works!" Nanako spoke up, before going quiet and looked away.

"It'll be ok, Nanako-chan."

"...I know. That's his job, so this stuff happens."

"Well, cases like these do pop up. But I promise he'll be home soon. Case should be done at some point. After all… That's clearly an easy case."

"Authorities are uncertain as to why the body was in such a state. With the cause of death also uncertain, police continue to investigate whether the death is an accident or a homicide. A thick fog common to the area has slowed their progress, and plans to fully canvass the area are delayed until tomorrow."

"They found her on the roof? That's scary…" Nanako muttered, before something got her attention. "Oh, it's Junes!"

Maria looked at the tv and blinked. A supermarket commercial? Why was that interesting? "At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day. Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products! Every day's great at your Junes!"

And almost at the same time, Nanako sang, "Every day's great at your Junes!" She looked over at the older girl expectantly and Maria sighed.

"Your Junes!"

Seeing the girl smile made the older one smile as well. "You memorized it already? I'm the best one in my class!" She continued to sing the song, ignoring the tv. The story from before came on and Maria paid attention. If there was a case she needed to solve… This info would be important.

"The deceased has been identified as Ms. Mayumi Yamano, a 27-year-old announcer at the local television station." So she had an identity, and if her memories of the tv news from yesterday, showed that something was up with her. Some sort of affair? She put two parts of her mind to work on how the body looked as she wished Nanako a good night and went to bed.

* * *

The next morning, Maria found herself looking at the same young man who was on the bike before stuck in the trashcan. She couldn't leave him there and pulled him out.

"Whew, you saved me. Thanks! Umm… Oh yeah, that's right. You're that transfer student, Maria right?" When she nodded, he smiled. "I'm Yosuke Hanamura. It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, Yosuke." She smiled softly at him, and he seemed to blush a little.

"Heheh. A-anyway, did you hear about the incident from yesterday? They found that announcer lady hanging from an antenna! You think it was some kinda warning? There's no way something that weird could've been an accident."

"I do." Maria replied, hands in her jacket's pockets. "Hanging from an antenna… Condition of the body was in good order too. This was a message from someone to us. And the closeness to the school shows it was meant for us students and not the adults."

"D-damn… Did you get all that from what was just there?" He asked, staring at her.

"Yeah. It's pretty obvious what this message could be. 'Don't end up like this lady.' Or something like that." She answered, shrugging. The meaning behind the message was subjective, a matter of perspective, but there was a meaning behind it.

"Yeah… Dangling a dead body over a roof like that... That's just messed up. Then again, it's pretty messed up to kill someone in the first place."

"Agreed."

"Anyway, you wanna ride? It's a little squeaky, but it should be fine." Yosuke offered, and she chuckled.

"Certainly. Such a gentleman." She climbed on behind him and sighed as they rode towards the school. After a while, they got there and he put the bike away.

He turned to her and asked, "So, you getting used to this place?"

"Not yet. Still getting used to how this town is in general."

He nodded. "Makes sense. You did just get here. There isn't much to do here compared to the big city, but there is that certain... something you can't get anywhere else. The air's clean, the food's great... Oh, you know about the local delicacy?"

She shook her head. "It's grilled steak! Like that's anything special, huh?" She nodded as she noticed the girl from yesterday walk over. "I know a place where you can get it cheap. Wanna come? You helped me out this morning, so it's on me."

The girl spoke up behind him menacingly, causing him to stiffen up. "What about me, huh? No apologies? You broke my 'Trial of the Dragon', remember?"

"Urgh... You always come around when I'm talking about food…"

The girl turned to Yukiko, who Maria nearly didn't notice at all. "How about it, Yukiko? Don't you think he should treat us, too?"

"I'll pass... I don't want to gain any more weight. I need to help out at the inn today, anyway." Maria heard 'IT' speak up, and this time, she listened to it.

 _Really? The human doesn't want to gain any more weight? She looks paper thin! Do people just like to go on diets at this age?!_ Its voice was bizarre, going from an older woman's to a young girl's to an old man's' and then to some mechanical version of speech. It certainly wasn't happy after hearing Yukiko's words and then let of a rusty laugh.

 _Glad to see you're paying attention… Host._

* * *

 **Welcome to the first of a series I'll be doing. While I won't explain much about who IT is or what life Maria's lived, I'll say this. The world she comes from originally is our own reality. But I hope you like this series. It won't be a series that will get updates that happen one after the other, it will be a lot longer than this from now on. But again, I hope you enjoy.**


	2. Chapter 2

Maria found herself frowning at 'it' as it laughed more. Letting her body go on autopilot like she had become used to doing, she crossed her arms as she took in the beings form. It was split into two beings, one much larger one and a small humanoid one. The larger was easily either monster or dragon in nature, giant, unyielding in form. Blue markings glowed on its body, its left arm mutating into some red and black monstrosity of an arm. Golden eyes glared down at her as the laughter emerged from its maw.

The humanoid form was much less intimidating. A small human girl, golden hair reaching its neck, and blood red eyes met hers. It clearly was somewhat like the monster, as two draconian wings on its back. But as both began to laugh, she found herself watching the humanoid form's teeth. Sharp canines all around the mouth. And the laughter was almost in stereo.

 _Host… How pleasant to see you again. How long has it been since we spoke, face to face?_ Both forms of 'It' looked at her, the smiles on both clear to see.

"Depends… How long has it been since you woke up enough to start a conversation cordially?"

The two began to laugh in sync, causing many parts that had gathered to grow uncomfortable. To see such beings talk to one another… It was like the stoic Metatron and out of control Lucifer were having tea and biscuits or whatever was on sale from Masakado's bake sale.

 _Too long, Host… Far too long_. The thing laughed louder as the humanoid form sat down on the ground, its gaze never leaving Maria. _Tell me… Where are we? What has become of our… Abilities?_

The Host for the thing sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Yasoinaba in Japan. Our abilities seem to be cordoned off for now, as you can tell." She began to pace back and forth, the parts around them giving space. "No magic can be cast right now, no demons can be summoned, and none of the weapons we've gathered can be used. Right now… We're back to Level One, as you can say."

 _PAHAHAHAHAHAA!_ She turned to see the draconic form laugh to the heavens. _Level One!? We were Godslayers, Demi-Fiends, Queens of Bel, and a Lord of Calamity! And now, we who emerged beyond humanities limits… ARE LEVEL ONE!? HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN!_ It continued to laugh before a part of Maria stepped forward. It wasn't the same look as her, and she could tell it was beyond the power the parts of her that surrounded them had.

Long black hair flowed down her back, golden eyes that seemed far from normal, a bandaged left arm, and an air of power. Maria sighed as this part of her stepped forward and placed the unbandaged hand on her hip. "And now comes the strongest Part, eh?"

"I thought we were Fragments, Origin." Maria looked away in annoyance at that title. But now wasn't the time to talk about titles.

"Forget it. Why are you up and about? I thought you'd be away from here since this isn't like where you came from."

"I was. However, when the Monster wakes up… You'll be damned if I don't wake up and see what the hell's going on." The Fragment before her smirked widely, looking dead at her.

Maria's hands went into the air in defeat. "Can't I get a break from you lot?! First it's the Monster waking up, then you! What next, the rest of the Ten start waking up!?" Maria instantly regretted it as she facepalmed. "They're waking up too, aren't they?"

"And you didn't notice?" The Fragment asked coyly, pointing out the powers that were forming just beyond her. But in an instant, the Fragment got serious and the Monster spoke up.

 _If we are done chatting about the past, let us convene on some important matter. The man… No, the_ _ **thing**_ _calling itself Igor._

"Yeah." The bandaged Fragment nodded as she looked to the Origin. "A journey with a mystery and a killer huh? Seems like we got a whole lot more on our plate than a simple year in school. And to think we were just trying to live a normal life." She laughed as Maria looked away again, this time in embarrassment.

"Not my fault…" She muttered as the seriousness came back.

 _Now… Onto other matters. The parasite that's feeding on our power._ The three looked as the part Maria put in charge of watching said thing brought it over. It was growing more defined, with some long coat on it and metal forming all over. A mix between a staff and a knife was forming in its hand, and it was clearly not human. Maria walked over and took the notes from it and began to read it over.

'Subject' appears to be gaining power by absorbing bits of Origin's power and adjusting to psyche. Along with that, it appears that the subject is naturally attracted to lightning. Wind however seems to make it flinch and lose some of the collected power. Along with that, combat data will be added once the being takes total form in either this reality or in some other one. Source of its infiltration is still unknown, and it appears to mutter words in some sort of language. Rough translation evens out into 'I am Thou, Thou art I. From the Sea of thy Soul I cometh'. No data on a Sea of Souls exists.

 _That's not odd at all._ The Monster muttered, looking closer at the thing. _In all our lives, never have we gained such a thing. Demons never mentioned it either. Just the Expanse._

"Indeed," The supposed Strongest Fragment muttered, arms crossed now. "I suggest extreme caution when it comes out. And when it does, you bring us ALL in."

"Velvet…"

"Don't you 'Velvet' me, Origin!" Velvet turned and glared at Maria, who met her glare with her own. "We have no idea what the hell this thing is! The Monster doesn't even know! We aren't taking any chances of this fucker killing us from the inside out. And with your power, and by extension, OUR power at level one, We stand a better chance of killing it or interrogating it as a group! You may be the Origin, but NONE of us are taking that chance!" Velvet's bandaged arm was almost shifting, like the mass under it was increasing and decreasing all at once.

"Fine! Keep an eye on it then. I need to make sure my existence out in reality isn fucking up." Maria muttered as the mindscape began to change into reality. Going over what her body did, she frowned. Yosuke seemed to have a girl he liked, and she had just seen her on something called the Midnight Channel. Spooky. But as she looked over the info, she stopped. Junes seemed to be taking over as a monopoly in Inaba. Local businesses were being overtaken by the store, and yet Yosuke didn't seem to take notice that Saki Konishi, the girl, would be upset with him.

These humans were so dumb, she wanted to have her face meet the pavement. But now she had some sort of lead. Saki Konishi found the body of the person hanging on the telephone pole, and the same girl appeared on the TV during something called the Midnight Channel. If that wasn't a lead, she didn't know what was. Setting her body in bed, she fell asleep, and the next day made her way over to Yosuke and Chie. They were dull in the logical department to her, but they at least had 'some' common sense.

"-hair was brown, about shoulder length. She was wearing our school uniform, and…" Chie's voice went off as Maria approached.

"Hey... I think that's the same person I saw. I couldn't make out that much detail, though. The image I saw was much blurrier…" The young man seemed a little down, and Maria filed that away for later.

"Wait, so you saw it too!? And we saw the same girl...? Does that mean... we have the same soulmate? What about you, Maria?"

"I saw her too, then something told me to… Put my hand in the tv…" Maria trailed off and cursed herself. How did she gloss over such an important fact!? She would be forcing all her mental style Fragments to keep an eye on _**all**_ the data she got while on autopilot!

"And? Did you do it?" Yosuke asked, oddly interested.

"Yeah. Screen felt like water instead of glass, and my hand went in."

"Were you that tired last night? You must've just fallen asleep in front of your TV." Seemed he put it out as a dream.

Chie spoke up, "That'd be one interesting dream, though. Did you not go through all the way cause it was small or…" Maria's blush as she looked away clued the two in. "That's pretty realistic."

"Not to mention hilarious. Seriously, how small is your TV?" Hanamura asked, smiling. Maria didn't give an answer as she let Chie speak up again.

"Ohhh, that reminds me. Our family's been talking about buying a bigger TV. Maybe we can check to see if your dream wasn't one." Seemed that she was becoming the but of their jokes, but she couldn't care about it. Finding out what the hell was going on was. Ignoring their conversation, she followed the two to Junes' TV selection and looked them all over. These were larger than the one in her room, and she could tell that nothing seemed to be off with them.

"Hey, how about this one over here? It's a display unit and it's a little old, but…" Ignoring them after Yosuke tried to put his arm into the TV, Maria touched the screen of the largest one. And sure enough, it rippled like water. Pulling her hand away, she felt it with her fingers. Her hand wasn't wet, so it wasn't transforming. Perhaps it was a portal to some other dimension? She then stuck her entire arm into the tv, and got an odd feeling about it.

"Oh yeah, Maria, what kind of TV do you-" She turned to see Yosuke staring at her as her hand was inside the television. Jaw dropped, eyes wide, he looked like he saw a ghost with how pale he was getting.

"... Um…" Maria stammered, trying to hide her blush and excitement. Blush due to embarrassment, and excitement due to the face there was another world beyond the one before her!

"Huh? Something wrong, Yosuke?" Chie walked over, not noticing the situation.

"I-Is her arm... in the TV...?" He asked, stepping back in a bit of fear.

"Whoa… Uhhh... Is that some kinda... new model? L-Like with a new function?"

"Hell no!" Maria ignored them as she took her arm out. It wasn't wet at all, so that meant there was something beyond it. Listening into her mind, she paused.

"Run that again Velvet?" Getting the two's attention without meaning to, Maria listened to Velvet clearly.

"That parasite we have carrying around is reacting when you put your arm in. It seems it's the reason we can enter the TV in the first place. But… It's just repeating the 'I am Thou, Thou art I' shit over and over. Nothing else."

"Shit." Maria muttered, looking at the TV closer. "I'm going inside." She said, catching Yosuke off guard.

"Wh-What do you mean, "inside"!?"

"I mean, what's going on!?"

Yosuke suddenly crossed his legs. "Holy crap... I-I think this is all too much for my bladder…"

"What the-? Are you gonna pee your pants!?" Chie stared at him in shock as Maria put her other arm in.

"I've been holding it in all day! I-I haven't had a chance to go…" Maria nodded as she put both arms in. "Aaarrgh! Can't... hold it... anymore...!" She lifted her foot to put it in. "Shit! Customers! They're coming!"

Maria stopped halfway through as she turned to the two panicking. "Come with me." The two stared at her and she sighed. Grabbing their wrists, she shoved the two in and followed suit. Seemed if she was holding on to them, they could go in as well. And then they started falling. Maria didn't scream like they did, but did land on her feet while they landed on their ass and back.

"Haa... So... uh... We're still alive... right?" Maria nodded and turned to the two.

"You two ok?"

"I think my butt's cracked now…"

Maria heard the Monster mutter, _Aren't all human's asses cracked?_ As Chie and Yosuke looked around. She began to look around as well. Fog, lots of it covered the ground, air , ceiling, hell, the very bodies they had were covered in fog. Moving her arm, she noticed and noted that the fog clung to her like a shroud, as if hiding something. Shaking her head, she looked at her surroundings more. They were in a studio, and not a bad looking one at that. However, there was something all parts of her could agree on.

"This place is too yellow." Velvet muttered, looking through Maria's eyes.

 _This place is too yellow._ The Monster muttered, both forms looking at the humanoid hair.

"This place is _too_ yellow." Maria sighed, looking around.

"That's what you don't like!?" Chie demanded, waving her arms around. "We are in a world inside the tv! Where there is fog everywhere, and again, it's a world nobody has ever been to… AND YOU'RE UPSET BY THE COLOR YELLOW BEING EVERYWHERE?!" The supposed Origin had to appreciate the lungs Chie had to scream that loud. And her boldness to not entirely panic in another world. Now how would that change when battle came around?

"Yep. I mean, have you need on the internet for very long? You get used to shit like this." A total lie. However, traveling multiple worlds did allow her to deal with new realities when they showed up. That just went to show that these kids were amatures to things like this.

"I'm pretty sure the internet doesn't have places like this." Yosuke muttered, still seeming ready to pee. However, before Chie could ask anything, Maria spoke up.

"Before you both panic, calm the hell down. We're not scientists, nor are we explorers. We aren't used to things like this. Well, you aren't." Ignoring the looks she got, she motioned around. "At first glance, we see no way out, and as such, I know you'll both panic. But if we go out now, we risk being seen by the customers you both saw earlier. So either chill and listen, or panic and freak out alone. Cause I'm going to go look around, and I don't mind going alone." That got both of them to start calming down.

She knew tricking them was bad, but she had to admit, it wasn't as bad as she thought it could get. Walking from the studio, she kept an eye on everything around her, but that was starting to get difficult. Why?

THERE WAS TOO MUCH GOD DAMNED FOG! Seriously, all three soon began to complain about how much fog there was, and soon they were forced back to the studio, and that was when Maria stopped them all. In the middle, before a stack of old TVs… Was some sort of bear. It was wearing a suit of blue and red, with blue fur. Large eyes looked at them, and its hands were behind its back. It looked almost like a snow cone in shape, and what made it weirder was the zipper connecting the head to the body.

"What is this thing? A monkey? A bear...?" Chie asked, looking at it.

"What in the world...?"

In a moment, the thing spoke. "Th-That's what I wanna know! Who are you guys...?"

Chie gasped as Yosuke gaped. "It talked! Uhh... What are you!? Y-You wanna fight!?" In her shouting, Chie seemed to not notice as the bear began to cower.

"D-Don't yell at me like that…" Maria walked over, ignoring the shocked looks from the two and patted the bear's head.

"You ok, pal?" The Bear looked at her in confusion before nodding. Smiling a little more, she asked, "Can you tell us what this place is?"

"This place is what it is. It doesn't have a name. It's where I live." Maria found herself frowning. This being… Lived here? Didn't seem like a place she'd like to live. Too much god damned fog. "I've always lived here. It's real, see?"

Yosuke managed to speak up, still shocked by the sight of a talking bear. "You... live here?" However, it ignored him and spoke to Maria directly and the other two indirectly.

"If I was you guys, I'd hurry back to the other side. Someone's been throwing people in here. It's a big headache. I dunno who's doing it! I just want them to think before they go doing things like that!" Maria just found out how the Killer disposed of the bodies. Wait… It seemed the Bear was insinuating that… They were alive when they got to this place!

"Hey, what's your problem? What gives YOU the right to yell at us like that!? What ARE you!? Where are we!? What the heck's going on here!?"

Maria turned and clapped her hands right in front of Chie, sending her onto her ass. "Calm down Chie! This is obviously a resident of this world, and we are the intruders! Yelling at him gets nothing done, and, as you can tell, he might know the way out. You yelling at him could make him not tell us where the exit even is!" The Bear looked at her and then looked down, and Chie looked shocked by how forceful she was being.

"W-what the hell! Why aren't you panicking!?" She demanded, standing and glaring at Maria.

"Simple, Chie Satonaka!" The girl flinched at the full useage of her name, "Someone has to be the sane man in this trio right now, and if it has to be me, than so be it. Can I get your name, pal?" She turned and smiled at the Bear, who seemed to be taking a liking to her.

"My name's Teddie." He smiled and motioned to the stack of TVs that began to glow. "You can use those to get out of here." Yosuke and Chie instantly ran for the stack but Maria stayed behind, and the two noticed it.

Stopping at the stack, they noticed her kneel and ask, "So… Does something here attack people? And if so… How many people have been attacked by these things?"

"The Shadows here are plenty dangerous if they don't like you. They're kinda like globs of… Shadows. And so far… Two people have been shoved in by whoever's outside." Maria nodded and patted Teddie's head.

"I'll be back a little later, ok Teddie? If I'm right… This is the first lead this case'll have." She muttered just loud enough for them to hear as she touched the stack of TVs, and the three found themselves back outside the flat screen in Junes.

Maria was silent as she listened to the announcer speak up, "Attention, shoppers. Our daily limited-time sale will now begin at the side dish area on the first floor. Why not try the delicious, fresh produce Junes picked for you this morning as your side dish for dinner tonight? All ages are invited to take advantage of this incredible bargain!"

"Crap, it's that late already?!" Yosuke began to panic before he noticed Maria began to walk away. "W-where are you going?!"

"Home. I suggest you both do the same. Relax, play some games, watch some movies, listen to some music. What we saw today isn't natural, and you're both probably scared. In this world, don't even mention that… TV World unless you're positive either we're alone, or the person knows about it. Understood?" She looked at the two and they noticed something weird about her after they nodded.

Her eyes were golden.

* * *

When Maria entered the house, she noticed Dojima and nodded at him. "Hello Uncle. You're home early."

"Hey, welcome home. And yeah, we can't do much today seeing as there's gonna be some deep fog rolling in. But anyway have you heard anything about a student named Saki Konishi?"

"She's the student who found the body, no?" Dojima nodded and before he could talk, she added, "She wasn't at school today. Seems odd. Did she go missing at home too?"

"Yeah… Get that from simple evidence, did you?" She noticed how proud he seemed of her, and she nodded. "Good to hear. But yeah, she's been reported missing by her family, and we have no idea where she is."

She looked at the news as Dojima did the same. "Do you think the killer got to her?"

"Why do you suggest that?" The older man turned and looked at her incredulously.

"A killer would rather get rid of any loose ends, no? Eliminating the finder of the corpse would allow for any loose end that could have remained from the finding to the police arriving. It's only natural that someone would do that. And seeing as she was on the news, and the only way that they could block her face was just her face, not her voice that well, and the school uniform and them talking about her leaving school early… The media painted the biggest target ever on her."

Dojima stared at her and Nanako shivered as she sat next to him. "You've thought a lot about that haven't you Maria?"

"Had to. The only thing keeping me calm while dealing with the looks everyone is giving me is thinking about something." She answered, before she stood. "I'll be heading to bed, ok? Goodnight Nanako-chan. Goodnight, Dojima-san." She saw the chuckle he was starting to get as Nanako smiled a little. "Oh, and Nanako?" She turned as the girl looked at her. "Everyday's great at your Junes~" Seeing her smile more, the older girl walked for her room.

While she began to sleep, Velvet began to pace as the Monster watched her. "This is all going insane. We expected a simple world and yet we got a murder investigation, a world of Shadows you get to via the TV, and we have no leads other than that!" She motioned to the humanoid being still growing. The coat was becoming more defined, as was the body and colors. It was almost complete, but not yet. Still repeating those words of 'I am Thou, Thou art I'.

 _And now it seems that Saki will die. Rule 82: If you appear on TV-_

"-You are more likely to die if someone is murdering people. I know, I know." Velvet sighed as someone else walked over. Another of the stronger Fragments, followed by some flying machine. Short white hair, cold blue eyes, and a giant sword on her back.

"Got it in one. It makes sense, after all. We'll see it in the morning that she's gone, and then Dojima will know that we were right about how to keep the people who are connected safe. But let's be real… None of this shit will work. Whoever's killing people is good, really fucking good. And they also have access to the TV World. Which means we are at a disadvantage since we only just got there."

"Agreed." Velvet sighed, rubbing her forehead in annoyance. "We'll discuss with the being about what it knows and doesn't know when the Origin finally wakes it up. Shouldn't be too long now.

 _Let us hope so._ The two Fragments looked at the Monster, who rose to its full height. _I can smell a coming battle. Whatever lies ahead… We must prepare to eliminate whoever lays before us._

* * *

Maria found herself standing next to Yosuke and Chie the next day after an assembly. And it made her uncomfortable that her theory was right. Saki Konichi… Was dead. Hanging just like the reporter, and dead by some poison. She didn't see the corpse this time, but she was sure Yosuke wouldn't be able to handle it.

And the worst part… It seemed that she appeared on the Midnight Channel again as she was in pain. So that gave some new information on the case… At the expense of someone's life.

"Hold on... Are you saying...? People who appear on that TV... die...?" Chie looked away, her face contorted in disgust.

"I… Can't say for sure." Yosuke sighed as Maria nodded.

"We can't. We only have two victims, and we can't let a third occur. If a third occurs… It might not be someone minorly close to us." Yosuke nearly looked ready to get upset, before Maria added, "It might be one of us instead. Whoever this killer is… They're good. Really good."

"W-wait… Do you mean… You want to go in there?! You should just let the police handle this and-" Chie looked even more panicked at this, and Maria went to speak, but it was Yosuke who spoke first.

"You think we can rely on the police!? They haven't made any progress on the announcer's case. Besides, even if we told them about the world inside the TV, there's no way they're gonna believe us! If I'm completely off-base with this, that's fine… It's just... I need to know why Senpai had to die like this." Chie looked away as Maria sighed.

"I agree." This caused him to look at her in confusion. "However, remember this. Teddie said that if the Shadows, other residents of that world, get upset with you, they attack viciously. We need weapons, armor, something to deal with any attackers. We don't have much, so we need blunt objects, stabbing things, knives, whatever!" She was glad they were alone, and she looked at him. "If we don't have protection, we're screwed. SO make sure you grab something for the three of us. Anything will do. Clubs, sticks, anything! Replicas will do too!" She motioned him off and he nodded, starting to get serious. She looked to Chie, who still seemed uncomfortable with the idea.

"I… I'll see you later. I'm sorry, but… This is too much." Maria nodded. Normal people couldn't handle shit like this, she remembered. To deal with hell itself, she lost some humanity.

"It's fine." This made the girl look at Maria. "I understand your fear. Hell, I bet Yosuke is scared too. We're going headfirst into some world we don't know to solve a supernatural murder… I'm not surprised you're scared, Chie. But… He's right. The police can't help in a world like that. And if that is the source… We need to hit there." As she saw the girl open her mouth, the 'Dog' stopped her. "The Killer might be working out of there, Chie. If they are, then we have to hit there. It might be the only place they can get rid of their victims 'safely'. So if we rescue their victims…"

"We find out who they are?" She guessed, getting a nod from Maria. "A-alright… Fine. I'll go too. But the moment we see trouble, we run."

"And not get to reenact some Trail of the Dragon?" Maria asked softly, seeing Chie blink and frown. "Come on, if we can fight these Shadows or whatever, it means more training. And more training means you can do more things like Bruce Lee."

Chie got silent again and grabbed Maria by the front of her jacket, pulling her close. "If we get hurt there, you owe me steak, understand?!"

"Anything else I'd have to owe you?" Maria asked, a small smile on her face.

"... A weekend of training. You and me. All weekend except for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Got it?" She frowned at that, but in the end, Maria accepted. It was better than doing nothing. And as the weekend was approaching them fast, why not? Nodding, Maria followed after Yosuke and Chie followed her. Finding him, he was stood before one of the TVs, the same TV they entered before.

"So, you're coming too Chie? Weren't you worried?"

"I still am, idiot!" Chie shouted, but calmed down. "Two people against whatever these Shadows are doesn't seem like good numbers to me. So… I'm going too." Maria nodded and looked as Yosuke sighed and handed Chie some knee pads and cleats, Maria a golf club, and he had two wrenches in hand.

"Well, I was hoping to have someone stand guard out here for people, but… Oh well." Looking to Maria, the young woman grabbed them both and the three entered the TV.

Teddie was there, and as the three landed, he ran over. "You're back miss! Wait… Why are you back? Did you all push the people in here?!"

Maria was quick to speak up. "Teddie, listen. We only found this world yesterday, remember? We already had one murder that occurred before we knew of this place, and when we got here, we were all scared of returning. But…" She turned to Yosuke, who continued their plan.

"Y-you want to fight the Shadows?!" Teddie seemed to panic, but Maria stopped him. "W-why?"

"Simple. Your world and ours are somehow connected. Tell me… Does the fog ever lift here?" This confused the other humans, but when Teddie nodded, she asked if the Shadows acted out at that time.

"Yes. Every time the fog lifts here, the Shadows get a lot more violent. Which is why I tried to get you to leave last time." Teddie looked down, "And now I can't get you to leave… I just want to live peacefully. This can't keep going on! My home here will be a complete mess! And then... and then... I… Waaah…" The two humans looked away, unsure of how to react as the 'Dog' rubbed the Bear's head.

"Don't worry. We were planning on finding out the reason, no? Well… I was." Maria sent a look at Chie and Yosuke, who seemed a bit put out by that revelation. "Think about it. If we're right, then someone is murdering people via the TV. These Shadows might attack whoever is in the clear world here when the fog's gone. It's likely… This is how the Killer kills the victims! No need to get their hands dirty. Just a simple kill via unknown beings."

"T-then… Saki-senpai-"

"Was likely killed the same way. The poison in her body might be caused by some Shadow's abilities."

"The announcer-" Chie started, before Maria steamrolled her.

"Might have had an incident with the Killer before and made them despise her. It's possible… That our Killer has something like us!" Teddie blinked and looked at her.

"A-anyway, c-can I ask you all this favor?" The three humans turned to Teddie, who kicked the ground. "You're the only ones I can ask. Will you promise me...? I want you to find the real guy who did all this. You have to stop him. Please?"

Maria looked to the two, and after a moment of looking between each other and her, they nodded. "We promise, Teddie. This Killer won't get away with this forever!"

* * *

Stepping from the studio, the group looked around. "W-wait…" Yosuke spoke up as he looked around. "What is this place...? It looks just like the shopping district…" Sure enough, it did. Small town shops were all over, and Maria could tell this was from Inaba. But there was something very off. Instead of gold or yellow or whatever color was in the studio…

All that was there was black and red. Every building a shade of these colors. The shadows were almost alive, moving as the black and red striped sky floated above them. "T-this is messed up." Yosuke muttered, looking around.

"Remember, this reality isn't our own. This place… Is as far from ours as ours is from here." This sent the group in a bit of confusion, but she wasn't worried. Whatever the hell was going on… She had to solve the equation soon. However, she began to tune everyone else out as something began to ring in her head.

"Shit! What the hell is this thing doing!?" Velvet's voice was clear as the ringing turned to blaring.

 _This parasite… It's awakening! Prepare for combat!_ The Monster roared, and she could feel her chest began to tighten as something began to happen around her. Shapes began to form, balls with long things coming from an opening… A hand, her hand, grabbed her head as words began to be chanted in her mind.

 _ **I AM THOU**_

 _ **THOU ART I**_

 _ **FROM THE SEA OF THY SOUL, I COMETH**_

 _ **THINE WORLD OF FOG AND PAIN WILL CLEAR WITH MY HELP**_

 _ **AS A MEMBER OF THE FOOL ARCANA…**_

 _ **I, IZANAGI, SHALL AID YOU!**_

With a scream of pain, Maria Narukami felt something break from her mind and form above her. Looking up as her mind surged with pain, she saw what it was. That parasite that she got from that Gas Station Attendant… It was finally out. A long black coat, similar to what she wore was upon its body. A metal mask covered its face, and golden eyes glared at the creatures around them. In its hand, a long staff with a large, combat knife end flashed dangerously. Swinging the weapon around, Maria could feel it give some power back to her.

 **Apologies, Summoner.** She heard it's voice, less dramatic than before, speak. **It appears I took too much power to manifest myself to aid you. Forgive me.**

Maria shook her head as she glared at the thing she summoned. "We'll talk later, Izanagi. But for right now… We got some Shadows to murder!"

 **Very well! My power is yours!** She smiled at that and raised the club and charged the Shadows, standing between Yosuke and Chie. The girl was bouncing from foot to foot while Yosuke was spinning the wrenches around. Both seemed fine, no damage, but seemed worried.

"I'm here guys." Maria said, nearly scaring Chie as the young man looked at her.

"Bout time! These things are bizarre and god damned creepy." He motioned to the beings that moved forward. Balls of black and white stripes with giant red lips, she saw the tongue extend out and go far too long for her liking. She could hear Velvet nearly puke just by looking at it while the Monster muttered something about, ' _Disgusting vermin from hell_ '. Spinning the club in her hand, she aimed it at the monsters, that all laughed a disgusting, unusual laugh that sounded like mice on acid and old men talking slow at once.

"T-the hell are these things!?" Chie demanded, still trying to calm down.

"Shadows!" Teddie said from behind, clearly unable to fight. "Listen, some have-"

"Weaknesses. Some don't. We don't know at first, so try everything. Just like video games, guys! But this time… We play for keeps! Kick their asses!" Maria roared, Izanagi roaring as well. Quickly remembering it liked lightning, a savage grin appeared on Maria's face.

"ZIO!" The being above her pointed a hand at the first and shocked it, sending it to the ground. The second bolt came down, then a third. All three soon hit the ground and judging from the looks on everyone's faces, she did well.

"D-damn…" Chie muttered, staring at her. This was beyond whatever training she could do.

"Shit…" Yosuke muttered, glad to see someone could fight.

"Oi, let's go!" Catching all their attention, she aimed her club at the Shadows. "Let's kick their asses! All together!" Rushing forward, she made sure the other two followed behind and all three began to beat the Shadows down. Within seconds, the freaks of nature were dead, and two small glowing pink orbs fell to the ground.

 _Soul Drops… Interesting._ The Monster muttered as the three began to catch their breath.

"What the hell… Did we just…" Yosuke started before Maria turned to them and smirked.

"We killed three Shadows with the ease of beating a level one enemy." She grabbed them both into a hug and laughed. "Damn, I expected you both to freeze up there, but you go and prove me wrong! You earned some good steak Chie, and Yosuke… I'll pay for some for you too!" She chuckled as the two blushed. But after a moment of rest, Teddie walked forward.

"Gosh almighty! You're amazing, Sensei! I am one impressed bear!" Maria looked at the being as Izanagi vanished. "I can't believe you were hiding such an amazing power! No wonder the Shadows were scared of you! *gasp* Are you the one who's able to bring people into this world? Hah! That's what I thought! This is really something. Don't you think so, Yosuke? Chie?"

"Yo, you call her Sensei and yet give us the short end of the stick? What gives?"

"Sorry…" Teddie looked down, but then Yosuke spoke up.

"W-Well, your support wasn't bad, though. Even if Maria cut you off." Said human began to look away, embarrassed. "I gotta give you some credit for that."

"Huh? R-Really...? Heehee." Teddie began to blush visibly and Maria chuckled.

"Sorry. But keep an eye on their weaknesses for us, kay? I'll get you some steak if we survive too!" She smiled as the Bear stared at her, the happiest grin on his face she'd ever seen.

"Alrighty then! Let's go-" The group was cut off as someone spoke, but as far as Maria could tell… Nobody was nearby.

"I wish Junes would go under…"

"It's all because of that store…"

"W-What the?" Yosuke asked, looking around.

"Oh, I heard that Konishi-san's daughter is working there."

"Oh my... How could she, with her family's business suffering like it is...?"

"I heard their sales have gone downhill because of Junes."

The young man shook his head, muttering, "Stop it…" But it wouldn't.

"That poor father... to have his own daughter working for the enemy."

"What a troublesome child…"

Chie spoke up, looking at Teddie. "Hey, Teddie. You said that this place is reality for those that are here, right? So... does that mean this was Saki-San's reality when she wandered in here...?"

"I... only know about what's over here." Maria took that into account. Perhaps whoever was thrown in made the part of the place into what it was.

"Whatever's going on here... We'll find out ourselves!"

As they stepped inside, it became clear something was up. The entire store was torn to shreds, and the voices began again. Chie moved closer to Maria, and Yosuke shook his head.

A new voice spoke up. "Saki, how many times do I have to tell you!?" Yosuke said something about Senpai's dad. So this was Saki's father… "You know what the neighbors say about you, right!? Aren't you ashamed of yourself? You're the eldest daughter of a family who's owned this store for generations! Is it the money? Or did you meet some guy there? Just tell me why you have to work THERE, of all places!"

"I... I can't believe this…" The young man muttered, hugging himself. "She seemed like she had fun at work... She never said anything like this to me… You're telling me THIS was how Senpai really saw things!?"

"Probably." Maria said, ignoring the looks everyone sent at her. "You can never see beyond a face into the soul. Eyes may be windows… But even windows can be blocked. The Saki Konishi you knew might not have even been the real one. Listen…" She trailed off as Saki's on voice began.

"I... never had the chance to say it… I always wanted to tell Hana-chan…" Maria held up her hand as Yosuke wanted to talk, "...that he was a real pain in the ass. I was nice to him just because he was the store manager's son, that's all… But he takes it completely the wrong way and gets all enthusiastic... What a dip."

"P-Pain in the ass...?" Yosuke looked up, eyes wide in confusion. Chie stepped over and began to rub his back in comfort, also uncomfortable about this.

"Who cares about Junes, anyway? Because of that store, our business is ruined, my parents hate me, the neighbors talk behind my back… I wish everything would just disappear…"

Yosuke was about to cry, and Maria could tell… But something made her turn towards the deeper part of the store. Something was there… Something she missed.

"It's *sniff* so sad... I feel so sorry for myself... Boo hoo…" The rest turned to see Yosuke stand there. But something was off. He just stood there and smiled widely at them, eyes a sickly golden. Chie and Yosuke looked to Maria, but her eyes weren't that shade. Not like when they returned from this world.

"H-Huh? Two Yosukes...?" Teddie was bewildered, and so was Yosuke himself.

"Who are you!? I-I wouldn't think that..."

"Hahaha... Yeah, right. How long are you going to keep deluding yourself?" The Not-Yosuke laughed. "Screw the shopping district, and Junes too! You're sick of everything, especially living out in the sticks!" Chie looked at Yosuke as he started to deny it, but got steamrolled like Maria did to them before. "You put on a good show of being carefree and happy-go-lucky 'cause you're so terrified of being alone. The more the merrier, right? You've gotta be surrounded by people to block out the pain of isolation. And what's this about checking out this world for Saki-senpai's sake? Hah! I know the real reason you came snooping…"

Yosuke finally spoke out to it. "Stop it!"

Not-Yosuke laughed again. "Hahaha! Why so panicked? I thought I was just spouting bullshit! Or maybe... I DO know everything you're thinking! Why's that...? Because I AM you! You just came because you thought it sounded like a good time! What else is there to do out in this shithole? A world inside the TV-now that's exciting! You didn't have a single other reason for coming here, did you!?"

Everyone but Maria was staring at him now. "That's not true... Stop... Stop it…"

"You're just trying to act like a big shot... If all went well, hey, maybe you could even be a hero! And that Senpai you were so sweet on? Her death was the perfect excuse!"

Now a nerve was touched. "That's not true! What are you!? Who are you!?"

The false being laughed. "I already told ya. I'm you... Your shadow... There's nothing I don't know about you!"

"Screw that! I don't know you! You can't be me, you son of a bitch!"

In that moment, something happened. Maria could see some sort of connection form between the two, and instantly pushed Yosuke, Chie, and Teddie away from the false one.

"Haha... Hahaha **hahahaha! This is it! I can feel the power!** " This power was unlike anything Maria had ever seen. Shadows began to crowd around the false Yosuke and seemed to latch onto him, either giving him power or fusing to him. Izanagi was right beside her as the being became more focused, and the Monster within choked on its laughter.

 _Did… Did his Shadow become a ninja frog?_ Sure enough, it did. A camouflage frog on the bottom with the most bizarre grin on its face, and a black clothed humanoid connected on its back. She had no idea how to react to this. It was strange, but then again, so were many things. It began to raise one of it's hands, which made a giant spinning blade of wind and…

Wait, why did it not throw it at the real target? Maria watched as it threw the thing at the people she swore wouldn't get hurt. The humans. Her charges! Moving as fast as she could, she made herself as big as she could get and took the attack head on. It hurt. It hurt like hell. The wind never seemed to die down and it hurt like hell.

Soon, it subsided and she fell on her face, unable to move. Izanagi was nowhere to be seen, and as she managed to move her eyes to look up, the beast or whatever it was was right over her. She saw it raise the foot and accepted her fate. As the foot came down on her unmoving body, Maria hoped death would come quick this time.

Living through the pain every microsecond at a time was already torture enough.

* * *

Izanagi's eyes opened wide. How strange. Was it not helping its Summoner take down a human's Shadow? Why was it back within her mind? The beings it noticed as it left were there too, and they were glaring at it. As was its Summoner.

 **I am glad to see you are well, Summoner.** It said, nodding at her. However, the Summoner glared at it. **Did… Something go wrong when we fought the Shadow of your friend?**

"No, just it pulling some fucking stunt that murdered us. Now we're back to the morning of Friday, April 15th." This stunned the Persona of the God of Japan.

 **But… How? There is no way to reverse time when you die, correct?**

The draconic being spoke next, _Says the being who formed when some person touched the Host's hand. Really smart being you got stuck with, Host._

"It doesn't matter…" The Summoner muttered, rubbing her left arm. Izanagi noticed that it was now covered in bandages. "Velvet… Thanks for the arm back. I need something to match the fucker." At Velvet's nod, the young woman who was his Persona User looked back at it, glaring.

"And you… Explain what you're doing in my head, God, or I will devour you."

Izanagi sighed. **I said before. I am Thou, Thou art-**

"Bullshit!" This stopped everyone as the Summoner glared at it. "I am no god, nor do I want to be one! I want to be human! To _STAY_ human! You fucking Gods are the ones who ruin _OUR_ lives with _**YOUR**_ bullshit!" This made the Persona flinch. While it wasn't the  true Izanagi, to see a human hate the Gods made no sense.

 **I… Do not understand why you hate me.** It said bluntly.

"... It's a long fucking story, and I have to go." The Summoner turned and left the mindscape, leaving Izanagi with the draconian being and the young woman named Velvet.

 **Did I… Make a mistake in saying that? It is what we are, Fragments of the human unconscious.** The two other beings looked at the God and the larger one sighed.

 _It's… A part of the curse we bear…_

 **What curse?**

 _The Curse of Fate. We are their Dog… A Dog of Fate._


End file.
